The fifth volume in CSA Word's massively popular complete and unabridged ‘Short Stories’ collection is bound to please. With something for everyone this collection of classic stories read by only the best-suited and most established readers will delight the ears as a vintage wine excites the gullet; The Vintage Collection is audible gold. Features eye-catching typographical series design.

I had such a great time listening to this collection of short stories. These particular stories are quite old and many are written by some of the best authors of the time, notably, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Thurber, Thomas Hardy, Kate Chopin, to name a few. They almost all have an ironic twist at the end, and all are micro novels of great entertainment. I recommend them highly.

The Dovekeepers: A Novel

Over five years in the writing, Alice Hoffman’s most ambitious and mesmerizing work ever, a triumph of imagination and research set in ancient Israel. The author of such iconic bestsellers as Illumination Night, Practical Magic, Fortune’s Daughter, and Oprah’s Book Club selection Here on Earth, Alice Hoffman is one of the most popular and memorable writers of her generation. Now, in The Dovekeepers, Hoffman delivers her most masterful work yet - one that draws on her passion for mythology, magic, and archaeology and her inimitable understanding of women.

I loved the perspective of this book being from four different people with four different and fabulous narrators. I thought the subject matter was fascinating and I totally loved LOVED that it was from a woman's perspective. That it is based on a true story makes it all the better. I tried to put myself in the place of each of these strong women, and decided I might act in a similar way in their places. I hope I would have been strong. I am so excited to see the mini series now.

The Invention of Wings: A Novel

From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees, a magnificent novel about two unforgettable American women. Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world - and it is now the newest Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 selection. Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

I was hesitant to read this book because I did not want to be let down if it did not compare favorably to The Secret Life of Bees. I was only slightly disappointed. I loved the book and of course, Kidd is such a fabulous writer that it is hard to put down any book of hers. However, the story line was not quite as good as some of her other books. It got to be a little repetitious, and I grew tired of disappointment after disappointment that all of the main characters experienced. When I came to find out it is based on a true story, I liked it better. I began to see the juxtaposition of the two sisters of wealth and class from the south with the two sisters born into slavery and wondered which set of sisters had more freedom. Both were severely oppressed and prevented from reaching their full potential, but as Handful, speaking to Miss Sarah, put it (I paraphrase), 'mine is bondage of the body, but yours is bondage of the mind. I won't ever let them take my mind.' We don't choose the circumstances of our births, and I found myself grateful that I was born into a less oppressive time for women! Heaven knows I have had my own struggles with that. I was amazed at the pluck and stamina of the Grimky sisters to stand their ground and work for the emancipation of their black sisters. even though they paid a dear price. Could I have done that? Would I have been willing to give up all that they gave up to help those less fortunate? I hope I would have. But in the process, they were helped just as much as the black women and men they served. They found their true calling in life and put their all into it. Or, as Another very wise Man put it, "...whosoever shall lose his life for my sake . . . the same shall save it." (Mark 8:35)

All in all, this was a great read with a great story behind it. I really came to love and admire these characters.

The narrators were absolutely top notch. A good narrator is half the reason I choose to listen to many of my books. These two are just great.

Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved That the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along

Every schoolchild is taught the great turning points in American history, such as Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, and 9/11. But other, equally significant events have altered our destiny without being understood---or even widely noticed. Acclaimed conservative historian Larry Schweikart now takes an in-depth look at seven such episodes and reveals the profound ways they have shaped America.

I learned a lot from this book, but I really think this would be a book better read, or at least read while listening. I can tell you what it talked about, but I could not tell you what the seven events are. I would be really happy to get a copy of it and try reading it. There was a time or two I got completely lost in the details of eating meat or something like that. Apparently there is no harm in eating a really poor diet with little nutritional value. At least that seems to me to be what it was saying. It made no sense to me! Still I think there is much to be learned from the book.

Six-time Emmy Award-winning funnyman Tim Conway, best known for his characters on The Carol Burnett Show, offers a straight-shooting and hilarious memoir about his life on stage and off as an actor and comedian. In television history, few entertainers have captured as many hearts and made as many people laugh as Tim Conway. There's nothing in the world that Tim Conway would rather do than entertain - and in his first-ever memoir, What's So Funny?, that's exactly what he does.

Twelve Angry Men

Over the course of a steamy and tense afternoon, 12 jurors deliberate the fate of a 19-year-old boy alleged to have murdered his own father. A seemingly open and shut case turns complicated, igniting passions and hidden prejudices.

A great study on assumtions. As one writer put it, when you assume something you make an "ass" of "u" and "me." That is what this book is all about, assuming something to be true because you want it to be true. Thank goodness there are those who are willing to put forth the effort to look deeper into things to find the real truth. Sadly, it doesn't work that way for everyone who is falsely accused, but when it does, it has to be deeply rewarding for the innocent.

Witness

First published in 1952, Witness came on the heals of America's trial of the century, in which Whittaker Chambers accused Alger Hiss, a full-standing member of the political establishment, of spying for the Soviet Union. In this penetrating philosophical memoir, Chambers recounts the famous case as well as his own experiences as a Communist agent in the United States, his later renunciation of communism, and his conversion to Christianity.

Once I started this book I could not stop. It is both frightening and hopeful; frightening because of how fragile and gullible we human beings are, and how easily we can lose our sense of right and wrong so that swallowing lock, stock and barrel some infinitely insane philosophy seems like the right thing to do. Hopeful because basically I believe human beings are good and smart and really do know right from wrong, even if it takes them a while to figure it all out. I hope we all figure it out before it is too late. Please please please read this book so you know how to recognize what is happening to America even now. I know you are basically good. Don't lose track of that!

My Mother Was Nuts: A Memoir

her life story going her humble roots in the Bronx to one of the most liked and respected figures in the entertainment business, also covering her marriage to Rob Reiner and relationships with Art Garfunkel, Carrie Fisher, and John Belushi, and her bout with lung and brain cancer in 2009, to Julia Cheiffetz

I just took it for what it is. Would I want her life style in exchange for fame and fortune? Absolutely not. I would never trade places with her and I would not hold her up as an example of morality. Hahahaha far from it. Still, it was the life she knew, and she was a talented and funny woman. This was an interesting read and I did enjoy much of it. I enjoyed listening to Marshall's great New York accent and learned a lot from her outlook on life. I don't think she was holding herself up as some role model or saying that someone else should seek her life style. It was an eye opener in a way. Not sure if I can recommend it unless it is to someone who, like me, can take it for what it is.

America: Imagine a World Without Her

Is America a source of pride, as Americans have long held, or shame, as Progressives allege? Beneath an innocent exterior, are our lives complicit in a national project of theft, expropriation, oppression, and murder? Or is America still the hope of the world? New York Times best-selling author Dinesh D'Souza says these questions are no mere academic exercise.

DSouza has such an interesting outlook on things. He sees them from a different angle and it makes me think. Although not born here, he is a great American. Everyone should listen to this book and then stand up for this country, or what is left of it. We can still save it.

The Lords of Discipline

This powerful and breathtaking novel is the story of four cadets who have become bloodbrothers. Together they will encounter the hell of hazing and the rabid, raunchy and dangerously secretive atmosphere of an arrogant and proud military institute. They will experience the violence. The passion. The rage. The friendship. The loyalty. The betrayal. Together, they will brace themselves for the brutal transition to manhood... and one will not survive.

Great Masters: Mozart - His Life and Music

Even from the perspective of time, it is nearly impossible to grasp the full contribution made to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in his brief and glorious life. He composed his first symphony at the age of 8 and reached full artistic maturity by the time he was only 20. And when he died at the age of 35, he left a legacy of more than 600 works of brilliance - symphonies, chamber music, operas, and more - most composed during an incredibly productive 20-year period.

After having listened to Dr. Greenberg's course on the Thirty Greatest Orchestra Works, I had to have more, and decided to give this one a try. Although I have always had a great appreciation for the music of Mozart and truly love many of the things he has written, I can’t say that he has been one of my all time favorite composers. With the insights I gained from this Great Courses class taught by Dr. Robert Greenberg, I must say the great genius has moved up in my estimation. My understanding of his music is markedly better, and I can now say he truly is one of my favorite composers. The world lost him way too soon at the age of nearly 36, but thank goodness for the things he was able to give us.

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